What do you think?
Rate this book
Wildlife: Australia from the Heart
Rebelling against her fashion drug designer father, freelance journalist and troubled clone Wynne Cage covers a data-heist that places her in the rank of a thief and must confront the forces of a world with unlimited bio-technological advantages. Reprint. AB.
Hardcover
First published February 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Steve Parish
313 books8 followersSteve Parish is an acclaimed Australian photographer, naturalist, and publisher whose work has shaped public appreciation of Australia's natural heritage. Born in Great Britain in 1945, he developed a deep love for nature early in life through activities like spearfishing and hunting. At 17, he joined an expedition to Kangaroo Island led by underwater photography pioneer Igo Oak, an experience that ignited his passion for photography and natural history. After joining the Navy at 18, his posting to Jervis Bay allowed him to hone his diving and photography skills, contributing to research for the Australian Museum and resulting in his first book, Oceans of Life.
In 1985, he founded Steve Parish Publishing, which became a multimillion-dollar enterprise producing widely acclaimed nature books, travel guides, and educational materials for all ages. At its height, the company employed 125 people and distributed to over 3500 outlets. Despite its forced liquidation after the 2011 Brisbane floods, Steve continued his mission through Steve Parish Nature Connect.
Recognised with numerous awards, including an Order of Australia Medal in 2008, Parish remains a leading figure in conservation education. His work continues to inspire environmental awareness through photography, publishing, and online learning initiatives.
In 1985, he founded Steve Parish Publishing, which became a multimillion-dollar enterprise producing widely acclaimed nature books, travel guides, and educational materials for all ages. At its height, the company employed 125 people and distributed to over 3500 outlets. Despite its forced liquidation after the 2011 Brisbane floods, Steve continued his mission through Steve Parish Nature Connect.
Recognised with numerous awards, including an Order of Australia Medal in 2008, Parish remains a leading figure in conservation education. His work continues to inspire environmental awareness through photography, publishing, and online learning initiatives.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 3, 2018
Solid transhumanist cyberpunk. I'm a sucker for explorations of the questions of identity that arise when you can clone and upload yourself. What I like best about this book is that the three main characters are all versions of the same person -- a pattern that is repeated in Wynne, fractally. It's really a story about how too much of a focus on one's self, too much inward-turning without the genetic (and memetic) diversity of others, can amplify and propagate patterns of dysfunction. And it's about the lengths you might have to go to, and the things you might have to sacrifice, to escape the patterns of your past.
August 3, 2011
A "fix-up" novel assembled from stories that I'm pretty sure were unrelated when I read them in their original appearance. It's pretty underrated. It's a melancholic novel about a dysfunction rich family (which is financially rich as well) in the 21st and 22nd centuries and how technologies such as genetic engineering and mind uploading enables them to treat each other as means rather than ends. Humorous future detail: The Outrage Channel
June 29, 2012
The Last Great Cyberpunk Novel is this Generations-Spanning Saga
The last great cyberpunk science fiction novel, James Patrick Kelly's "Wildlife" is a compelling, memorable, exploration into the future of computers and biotechnology and its unforeseen impact on humanity. Covering three generations of the Wynne family, "Wildlife" still seems prophetic in its fictional coverage of biotechnology and artificial intelligence, in a dark, nightmarish future far more realistic than anything I have read in recently-published post-cyberpunk novels. Kelly's Wynne Edwards is one of cyberpunk's most fascinating protagonists; the product of an odd experiment conducted by her father, Tony Cage, the most famous and wealthiest designer drug artist. She must contend with the unexpected future shaped by the release of the computer program "WILDLIFE"; the culmination of the latest advances in artificial intelligence and biotechnology; hers is a journey that will span across decades around the globe. Kelly's novel is a most memorable exploration into what it really means to be human, told in a fast-paced style of luminous, descriptive prose demonstrating that Kelly isn't just a cyberpunk fiction writer possessed with notable ideas, but also one who must rank as among science fiction's most important prose stylists. Without question, "Wildlife" should be viewed as required reading for those interested in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk science fiction demonstrating that Kelly isn't just a cyberpunk fiction writer possessed with notable ideas, but also one who must rank as among science fiction's most important prose stylists. Without question, "Wildlife" should be viewed as required reading for those interested in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk science fiction.
The last great cyberpunk science fiction novel, James Patrick Kelly's "Wildlife" is a compelling, memorable, exploration into the future of computers and biotechnology and its unforeseen impact on humanity. Covering three generations of the Wynne family, "Wildlife" still seems prophetic in its fictional coverage of biotechnology and artificial intelligence, in a dark, nightmarish future far more realistic than anything I have read in recently-published post-cyberpunk novels. Kelly's Wynne Edwards is one of cyberpunk's most fascinating protagonists; the product of an odd experiment conducted by her father, Tony Cage, the most famous and wealthiest designer drug artist. She must contend with the unexpected future shaped by the release of the computer program "WILDLIFE"; the culmination of the latest advances in artificial intelligence and biotechnology; hers is a journey that will span across decades around the globe. Kelly's novel is a most memorable exploration into what it really means to be human, told in a fast-paced style of luminous, descriptive prose demonstrating that Kelly isn't just a cyberpunk fiction writer possessed with notable ideas, but also one who must rank as among science fiction's most important prose stylists. Without question, "Wildlife" should be viewed as required reading for those interested in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk science fiction demonstrating that Kelly isn't just a cyberpunk fiction writer possessed with notable ideas, but also one who must rank as among science fiction's most important prose stylists. Without question, "Wildlife" should be viewed as required reading for those interested in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk science fiction.
February 5, 2010
To my horror, I wasn't absolutely horrified by this book. It was alright. Some decent ideas, but I've seen them more competently expressed elsewhere. The prose in the first few chapters alone almost made me put it down.
July 20, 2025
An extremely solid work of what I guess we all are agreeing to label as cyber punk, this was a great find!
Kelly's book kicks off with some great sci-fi action. Wynne Cage, a renegade reporter, has glommed on to a risky data heist and, under the interesting laws of her age, is permitted to embed with the criminals so long as she doesn't directly participate. The mission succeeds, although her lover (one of the participants) dies in the process. Along with the remaining conspirator, she flees to a post-apocalyptic Switzerland and holes up in a ruined castle with an equally ruined man, the brains behind the heist. At this point, she begins to understand what she has stolen, which is the key to a future world of uploaded consciousness and other mind-bending technological marvels.
From there, the book jumps around in time as it tells a story of what happens to Wynne and those close to her over the next hundred or so years, while the technology she helped liberate causes massive changes to society and challenges philosophical concepts surrounding what it means to be "human."
Although you could be forgiven for being a little trepidatious about this book if you aren't a hardcore sci-fi aficionado, the book is actually remarkably accessible despite its heady themes. If you like early Neal Stephenson, you will really like this one.
Kelly's book kicks off with some great sci-fi action. Wynne Cage, a renegade reporter, has glommed on to a risky data heist and, under the interesting laws of her age, is permitted to embed with the criminals so long as she doesn't directly participate. The mission succeeds, although her lover (one of the participants) dies in the process. Along with the remaining conspirator, she flees to a post-apocalyptic Switzerland and holes up in a ruined castle with an equally ruined man, the brains behind the heist. At this point, she begins to understand what she has stolen, which is the key to a future world of uploaded consciousness and other mind-bending technological marvels.
From there, the book jumps around in time as it tells a story of what happens to Wynne and those close to her over the next hundred or so years, while the technology she helped liberate causes massive changes to society and challenges philosophical concepts surrounding what it means to be "human."
Although you could be forgiven for being a little trepidatious about this book if you aren't a hardcore sci-fi aficionado, the book is actually remarkably accessible despite its heady themes. If you like early Neal Stephenson, you will really like this one.
May 13, 2019
one of the best literary sf works I've ever read
April 12, 2020
Always interesting to read a future written before the internet came along.
March 24, 2021
This was strange and twisted, but I liked it. Had some issues toward the end I think, but overall a good read.
December 19, 2014
I had been looking forward to reading this one because it is based on one of my favorite short stories, "Solstice", the story of a celebrity drug designer who has himself cloned and then begins an affair with his offspring. I liked the cool tone of the piece, the believable inventiveness of it, and the fact that Kelly, to a greater degree than most sci-fi writers, was interested in the emotional impact of events on the characters. This novel includes the entire story, and expands on it considerably and adds a degree of absurd humor not present in the original.
The novel follows several generations of Cage family clones, male and female, starting with the original drug designer Tony Cage and his offspring Wynne. This story adds Wynne's clone, Peter, and moves 100 years into the future, into a world where people get their genes "twanked" and thus can take on the characteristics of dinosaurs, etc. Wynne has her mind uploaded into a "cognizor" (a computer program that can encompass all the facets of the human brain and more) and has her body turned into a version of the Statue of Liberty. There are some interesting explorations of the fictional possibilities of cognizors, e.g. Wynne's brain divides into 2 sections, and one is allowed to die while the other uploads to a distant location. The novel lacks the emotional intensity of "Solstice" and tries to compensate by adding new characters and strange events. The plot is less vital than the individual events and creations, but it concerns Wynne's revenge on Tony as he wakes up from a long, cryogenic sleep, and Peter's (a.k.a. Mr. Boy - his genes have been twanked to make him 12 years old) attempts to gain independence from his very strange mother.
Many features of contemporary SF are on display here: genetic manipulation, virtual reality get-togethers in cyberspace, the use of fanciful drugs, semi-human cyborgs that are indistinguishable from real people, and super-powerful computer programs. There is no doubt that this is a vital and sometimes thought-provoking read. But what is not as present is what I loved about "Solstice": a uniquely dark and sensitive authorial vision that is full of interesting details.
The novel follows several generations of Cage family clones, male and female, starting with the original drug designer Tony Cage and his offspring Wynne. This story adds Wynne's clone, Peter, and moves 100 years into the future, into a world where people get their genes "twanked" and thus can take on the characteristics of dinosaurs, etc. Wynne has her mind uploaded into a "cognizor" (a computer program that can encompass all the facets of the human brain and more) and has her body turned into a version of the Statue of Liberty. There are some interesting explorations of the fictional possibilities of cognizors, e.g. Wynne's brain divides into 2 sections, and one is allowed to die while the other uploads to a distant location. The novel lacks the emotional intensity of "Solstice" and tries to compensate by adding new characters and strange events. The plot is less vital than the individual events and creations, but it concerns Wynne's revenge on Tony as he wakes up from a long, cryogenic sleep, and Peter's (a.k.a. Mr. Boy - his genes have been twanked to make him 12 years old) attempts to gain independence from his very strange mother.
Many features of contemporary SF are on display here: genetic manipulation, virtual reality get-togethers in cyberspace, the use of fanciful drugs, semi-human cyborgs that are indistinguishable from real people, and super-powerful computer programs. There is no doubt that this is a vital and sometimes thought-provoking read. But what is not as present is what I loved about "Solstice": a uniquely dark and sensitive authorial vision that is full of interesting details.
April 29, 2010
The short story "Mr Boy" is the best thing ever.
January 8, 2012
More like 3.5 but I feel like throwing it some love. Dates of original read a guess at best!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews